Nashidil Rouiaï

Senior Lecturer at the University of Bordeaux ISVV

Published in "Terre de vins" No. 87 – July/August 2023

 

How has wine tourism established itself as a driver of agroecological development in vineyards?

How has wine tourism established itself as a driver of development? Against a backdrop of declining wine consumption in the traditional wine-producing countries, wine tourism has provided a route to diversification, offering new economic benefits. Whilst promoting the product and the wine-growing region, it enables the expectations of consumers and wine tourists – who are increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability – to be identified and met. Alongside winegrowers, wine tourists are set to become key players in these changes to practices. agroecological development of vineyards?

Wine tourism can support the agroecological transition of vineyards by promoting environmental practices and local biodiversity.

What did your research reveal about the relationship between these two themes?

Drawing on qualitative studies, participant observation and interviews with wine tourism stakeholders and wine tourists, I have been able to demonstrate that the combination of promoting wine tourism in wine-growing regions and their agroecological development is a fertile ground, which can be approached both
at an individual level and within the framework of collective strategies. The primary expectation of tourists visiting a vineyard is to discover a product and the expertise behind it, but many also wish to understand the production process, with a constant focus on environmental issues, amongst which biodiversity plays a central role, as it is tangible and observable across the landscapes. According to my interviews, the openness required to offer wine tourism experiences that go beyond simple wine tasting does not, on its own, drive new practices. However, it often coincides with a commitment to transparency in viticultural practices, aimed at developing the vineyard in a more environmentally friendly way.

What are your current lines of research on this topic?

In 2019–2020, I conducted a study in the Loire Valley, which showed that these two issues go hand in hand and that it is in our best interests to help winegrowers develop these wine tourism offerings, whilst encouraging the adoption of collective practices, particularly through the support of inter-professional organisations and trade unions… At the ISVV, we are also working towards this goal through the Vitirev project, spearheaded by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region at a regional level. In addition to our professional bachelor’s and master’s degrees designed to train wine tourism professionals, we have set up a programme of short courses to enhance the skills of local stakeholders, including winegrowers who wish to open their estates to tourists. Among these, since 2022, we have been offering a course entitled ‘How to develop an eco-wine tourism offering’, which provides the fundamentals and key insights in this field over the course of around twenty hours.